Fruit-gatherer.



R. E. TEAGUE.

FRUIT GATHEHER.

APPLlcATloN F|LED1uLY18,19|.

ilwlm, mmm Apr. 2Q, 191,9.

ff/wm? Ww: 4 @j 4 U RALEIGH E. TEAGUE, OF HANFORID, CALIFORNIA.

. FRUIT-GATHERER.

pplication led July 18, 1918.

To all 'whom t may concern.'

Be it known that I, RALEIGH E. TEAGUE,

a citizen of the United States, residing at Hanford, in the county of Kings, State of California, have inventedA certain new and useful Improvements in Frnit-Gatherers; and 'I do declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the same, reference beingV had to the accompanying drawings, and to the characters of reference marked thereon, which form a part. of this application. Y

i This invention relates to improvements in fruit gatherers or harvesters, the principal object thereof being to provide an easily positioned and removable device which will be placed under a. fruit tree of which the fruit is to be harvested vwhereby the fruit when shaken down will automatically pass lfrom the device into the fruit boxes suitably positioned under the device for that purpose.

A further object is to produce a device on which the fruit will fall without the danger of the same being bruised or coming in contact with the ground. This saves fruit and conserves manual labor.

The device is of course particularly adapted Vfor use with perishable or easily bruised fruits, such as peaches, prunes, apricots and the like.

A third object has been to produce a device for the purpose as above stated which will be simple of construction and operation, and yet extremely eiiicient for the purpose for which it ispdesigned.

These objects I accomplish by means of such structure and relative arrangement of parts as will fully appear by a perusal of the following specification and claims.

On the drawings similar characters of reference indicate corresponding parts in the several views.

Figure 1 is an elevation in perspective of the device as positioned around a fruit tree.

Fig. 2 is a sectional view taken on a line 2*?. of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a perspective view of a central frame support.

Fig. 4 is a perspective view of a corner frame support.

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary section taken on a line 5-5 of Fig. 1.

Referring now more particularly to the figures of reference on the drawings, the device consists cssentially of two independent members l and 2 abutting against each other Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Apr. 29, 1919. serial No. 245,454.

to surround the trunk of a fruit tree and being of suiiicient size to extend beyond the bearing limbs of the tree.

These members are rectangular in shape, each one being substantially half of a square on a horizontal plane.

As the construction of both members is identical, I have therefore hereinafter described but one of them to avoid unnecessary duplication of description.

ITaking the member 1 as the one particularly described, the same consists of a wooden frame 3, under each corner of which is secured a right angled triangular iron plate 4. A leg 5 is secured to and depends" downwardly from the apex of the triangular plate a suitabledistance, being secured at its lower end on a small triangular ground bearing plate 6. From this plate brace rods 7 extend to the 45o corners of the plate 4.

This construction provides a rigid support for the frame, and also braces the same against twisting out of square.

The edge of the frame 3 which abuts against that of the member 2 is cut away for suitable distance on either side of the center, and a member 8 consisting of a central semicircular portion 9 having flanges 9a on either side thereof is interposed to project inwardly between these cut ends of the frame 3. This member 8 and the flanges thereon are preferably bent out of one piece of angle iron, so that the ends of the wooden frame 3 may rest on and be secured thereto. A leg 10 depends centrally from the portion 9 terminating at and secured on a plate 11 from which braces 12 extend to the edges of the flanges 9a, forming a central supporting means of an inverted tripod form substantially the same as the members 5-6-7, and of the same height from the ground, which height may be as best suited for the purpose.

The semicircular portion 9 of the member 8 and its complement on the member 2 is of sufficient diameter to circumvent the trunk of any ordinary fruit tree.

A canvas fruit retainer 13 covers the space inside the frame 3, the same having wide heme 14 along its back edge and the two sides, so that the wooden frame members may be slipped therethrough.

The corners of the canvas are cut away as at 15 and centrally of the back edge as at 1G, as the hem could not pass the corner plates 4 and the legs thereon nor the member 8. The

canvas is of course cut to conform to the center of the member 8, and is held in position at that point by loop'stitching `17,the member 8 being provided with holes 18 in the side thereof for that purpose.

The canvas 13 is so shaped and hung on the frame 3 that while thebaclr edge (which is adjacent the tree) and the sidesl are-on a level with the bottom of the frame, the front edge sags down from both side edges toward the center and is sewed along this front edge to the bottom edge of a separate piece of canvas 19 hung vertically, which lower edge conforms to the contour of the sag off/the main canvas.

'The lower edge of the canvas 19 is cut away centrally thereof to form an orifice 20 of suflicient size to admit of a certain quantity of fruit passing therethrough.

The top edge of this canvas has `a `wide hem to permit of the front edge of the frame 3 passing therethrough.

Hooks 21 on the outer edges of theframe 3 engage with eyes 22 on the adjacent edges of the frame of the member 2 to hold the'two members together while the device is being utilized.

In the operation of the device, when the tree is shaken the fruit drops onto the canvases 13, and without any tilting` or shaking of the frames rolls down towardthe lowest point and out through the orifice 20 into boxes 23 positioned thereunder.

From theforegoing description it will'be readily seen that I have produced such a device as substantially fulfils the object ofthe invention as set forth herein.

While this specification sets forth in detail the present and `preferred construction of the device, still in practice such deviationsfrom such detail may be resorted to as do not form a departure from the spirit ofthe invention, as defined by the appended claims.

aeoaaea rectangular frames adapted to abut and be demountably connected at their abutting edges to `surround the trunk of a *.fruitttree,

supporting .means secured to the frames, a canvas secure-d t0 three sides of each of the frames, such canvas sagging down from-the sides-towardthe center and having-its lowest point on the verticallplane 'of the edge of the/frame farthest from the fabutting edge and central thereof, fand a i canvas secured 4to andA-h-ung'vertically from said .farthest edge, the llower edge offsa'id last .named canvas conforming-in shape toathe saggededge .of the first named canvas and being `secured thereto,-and being provided with an orifice centrally positioned along the `lower edge thereof.

2. lA fruitgatherer:comprising a pair of independent rectangular frames of .equal size 'to form a square when abutting one against 'the other,-brace plates under each corner of each frameflegs depending from the plates, aicentrally positioned semicircular piece projectin =inwardly from the abutting edges ofthe `frames and' adapted to surroundthe trunk of afruit tree,` and canvases hung .on the frames `with `theirlowes-t points 0nthe verticalplane` of Lthe fedges of the frames far-thestfromthe tree, andcentral "thereof, the canvases being eaehpi'ovided with an orifice atsuch lowest points for :the passageA ofy the fruit therethrough.

In' testimony whereof I aflix my signature inpresenceI of two witnesses.

RALEIGH E. f'IEAGrUE Witnesses `Iflnvm-RD MNGER, `M. i Srrnnwoon.

Copies `of this patent vmay be -obtained for `fivecents each,.byr-addressing'lthe .Gommissionerfof Patents, Washington, D. C. 

